HE ISLAND OF STAFFA

Superb seawatching with some great cliff sites and caves

TStaffa lies about six miles west of the Isle of Mull and is only half a mile long and a quarter of a mile wide. It has an area of 82 acres and the highest point is 42m above sea level and the cliff top path that runs around its circumferance is about two miles in length. Now in the care of the National Trust for Scotland, the main attraction for birdwatchers are Puffins, Kittiwakes, Shags and gulls that nest that on the island, and the surrounding waters provide good spotting for numerous other seabirds including Eiders, Fulmars and divers, Grey Seals, dolphins, and this coast’s speciality, the world’s second largest fish, the Basking Shark. Altogether, you’re looking at about 40 species of bird to be spotted on a day’s visit, especially if you combine a trip here with the nearby Treshnish Isles. Although uninhabited, Staffa is a popular draw for tourists wanting to see Fingal’s Cave, with its distinctive columnar basalt entrance (the subject, of course, of Felix Mendelssohn’s famed Hebrides Overture, composed in 1830). A concrete/rocky path runs from the landing stage to the cave and there’s a viewing platform at the entrance for watching the Cormorants and Shags and other birds flying to the cave. A short flight of steps next to the landing stage gives you access to the island. The natural vegetation has now returned and it’s a good idea to look for the smaller birds such Whinchat and Stonechat in the ground cover. Puffins are best seen northwards of the landing stage where you sit above the nests and watch the birds fly only yards away from you. On our visit, we also got Gannet, Manx Shearwater, Guillemot, Razorbill and Great Skua offshore, and the possibility of picking up a White-tailed Eagle during the day is high. STEVE NEWMAN